Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2000 Kia Sephia owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2000 Kia Sephia. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH and approaching a traffic light, the brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was unable to veer to the side of the road. The vehicle was able to restart after being jumpstarted. The contact continued to drive; however, the failure recurred 5 times while driving and depressing the brake pedal or the accelerator pedal. After each failure, the vehicle was able to be restarted when jumpstarted. The vehicle was taken to a local Pep Boys and diagnosed; however, no fault code was retrieved. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
Gear shift is my big problem right now with my car. It has been in 3 times in the past 2 years. 1st two times was due to the in-ability to get the car out of park. 1st repair could not get the car out of park. Repair was lubricate the gear shift cable. (accused driver of getting pop in the gear shifter) 2nd repair could not get the car out of park. Repair was to replace the gear shift cable. 3rd repair car stalled on the road and would not start. Repair "free-up shifter shat in transmission (would not go all the wasy in park and was hard to find any gears and would cause a no start)". This is the quote on the back of the repari ticket. When the car was pick-up. The car again refused to start. Was told that the gear shifter on the floor had to be shoved to the consolse to make the car recognize that it is in the "park" location. …
Constant problem with check engine light. Transmission replaced on 5/28/04 (47,800 miles). On 7/5/04 had same acceleration problems, dealer found no evidence of problem after having car for 2 days. On 8/3/04 again had same acceleration problems with transmission, again after having car for 2 days, dealer found no evidence of problem. Same day (8/5/04) took car home transmission would not change gears. Pulled off road, put car in park, shut off car, waited a couple of minutes, restarted car, no problem at that point with shifting. Called dealership in brandon (who replaced transmission) spoke with andy advised him what had happened. He stated it was an electrical problem and it was reseting itself once the car was turned off. He said he would get in touch with his technical people to find out what to replace to fix car. …
Car died on the road for no reason. Then car would not start. Driver verified that gear-shift was locked in "park" position. Just glad this did not happen on a busy highway. This is the 3rd time the car has been in the repair shop due to getting the car into or out of park. Repairs over the past 18 months have been re-lubricated the gear-shift cable (1st repair). Replace the gear-shift cable (2nd repair). The last (3rd) repair was a re-lubrication of the replaced gear-shift cable and re-adjustment of the linkage so car could recognize that it was in park. These required repairs are being blamed on not driving the car enough. Also having trouble with premature warring on the break rotors and pads. Car has just over 22,000 miles on it. Reason is driver (that is not driving enough) is too hard on the breaks. (my other car has 78,000 miles on it. …
When my boy friend went to change the front brake pads on my 2000 Sephia he was told that Kia didn't make pads for my car.we had to purchase new rotors because the old ones were so warped you could hardly drive the car.Kia said there was a defect in the rotors and that replacement ones were avaiable(at my expense).this ocurred in spring of 2003 then in sept 2003 my cv axles went out.my boy friend is an automotive technicianb and he is continuning his education at austin peay state university. He took my car to his professor who is a.s.e. Certified and he was told that the axles most likely went out due to the vibration of the rotors. …
I have <45000 miles on my car (2000 Kia Sephia) and have had to have the front brakes replaced 3x and the back brakes replaced 1x. Also, when I turn on the ac, there is a loud noise from the front of the car. The car hesitates when trying to get up to speed. The car also feels like it is trying to pull something of great weight when driving at 55 MPH. The back seatbelts do not always lock. The dealer informed me that the seat belts are only to lock when the brakes are slammed or the vehicle is hit (so how is a child booster seat supposed to stay put when the vehicle is in motion?)
Our Kia Sephia 2000 is a lemon. We have had to replace the brakes four times because of premature ware and shaking due to poor design. We received the car with a dead battery. We are on our third battery. We were on our third set of tires before 30,000 miles. The gear shift will stick so that you can not take it out of park. The weather molding is falling off. Check engine light goes on and they could not keep it from coming on.
Brakes squeaking when applied. Dealer notified, and rplaced both front brake rotors. Transmission failed twice within two months. The brake failure resulted in accident. Check engine light came on several times but dealer checked and stated okay.
Upon test driving a different Kia Sephia on the evening of our purchase,I noticed the rough shift of the vehicle.I was told by the sales person that it was a very new car and that it shifted hard because it had not been driven.I accepted that explaination and we proceeded to purchase a different Kia Sephia that evening. My wife drove the car to work and noticed that this vehicle shifted very hard also,especially when cold. We called the dealership and mentioned this to the salespreson greg,and he said that the service department would check it out later that week when they repaired a scratch we saw on the spoiler at the time of purchase. They said a 200 mile trip we were planning would help smooth everything out. It didn't. After another week we complained again and were told the car needed 10,000 miles on it before the transmission would smooth out. …
Over the course of the previous few months, prior to the incident, I noticed that the 2000 Kia Sephia with 80000 miles began to have a hard time with the shifter. It became increasingly more difficult to get the car to shift from park to drive. It continually felt like the shifter was stuck. I ended up having the car towed via flatbed because the car refused to start. After getting it to a mechanic I was told that the transmission had failed, however, being the car only had 83000 miles I sought a second opinion. After contacting the dealer and describing the problem to one of the mechanics (who will not be named), I was told this is a common problem with this make and model Kia. That the seal is faulty in the transmission casing and after a period of time dirt and/or water leaks into the linkage causing it to not shift. …
Transmission complaints in other Sephia years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2000 Kia Sephia?
NHTSA has 50 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2000 Kia Sephia, 19% of the model year's 266 complaints. The component named most often is automatic transmission (36 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2000 Kia Sephia transmission problems?
No. NHTSA lists no transmission & drivetrain recall for the 2000 Kia Sephia, though it has 1 recall for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2000 Kia Sephia transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 30,000 miles, and 40% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to transmission & drivetrain problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.